Sepp Blatter calls for crackdown on racism at next World Cup

Fifa's president, Sepp Blatter, has called for greater scrutiny of discrimination when the World Cup goes to Russia in 2018. Photograph: Tasso Marcelo/AFP/Getty Images

Fifa’s president, Sepp Blatter, has criticised the way incidents of discrimination were dealt with at World Cup matches.

The day after Germany’s 1-0 victory over Argentina Blatter said he had been delighted with the tournament as a whole but raised concerns about Fifa’s attempts to stamp out discrimination. “I am not at all happy with the way we fought against racism,” he said.

Blatter added that he had spoken to Russia’s president, Vladimir Putin, at Sunday’s final about making the issue a priority at the 2018 World Cup there.

The Fifa president and Brazil president, Dilma Rousseff, had said this World Cup would take a stand against discrimination. However, reported incidents of fans chanting gay slurs, displaying far-right banners and wearing black face make-up brought no disciplinary action.

Fifa’s own racism task force chairman, Jeffrey Webb, described a “disconnect” between his group and Fifa’s disciplinary panel.

Otherwise Blatter was glowing in his praise for Brazil and awarded it a mark of 9.25 out of 10, compared with the 9 he awarded in 2010. “We have improved on four years ago in South Africa,” Blatter said.

“We consulted all our computers and our Facebooks and decided on 9.25 out of 10 because perfection does not exist in football.”

He added: “This was my 10th World Cup and my fifth as president and what makes this so very, very special was the quality of the football and the intensity of the games.”